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08 Dec 2022

How Kimberly Loaiza Became TikTok’s Most-Viewed Music Artist

In early 2020, Kimberly Loaiza uploaded her very first TikTok video to promote her single “No seas celoso,” which loosely translates to “don’t be jealous.” The 15-second video features the Mexican pop star doing a short and simple choreography to her song with a request to her followers: “Loves, if you want to see me post more often here, I invite you to do the #noseascelosochallenge.” Since, that clip has earned more than 3 million likes, and the singer has continued to post religiously, growing a zealous fanbase on the short-form video platform. This year, according to TikTok’s recently released year-end report, Loaiza was the app’s most-viewed music artist globally.

At a time when the music business is obsessed with TikTok and nearly every hit song must take off there to thrive elsewhere, Loaiza has built a following of 70 million followers — up 16% from the year prior — and 4 billion likes on her account. Key to the 24-year-old’s growth on TikTok has been her collaborating with other influencers in her videos, as well as connecting with fans through popular trends like viral dance challenges and video reactions. Of course, she’s also using TikTok as a platform to grow her music career, which already includes key collaborations with artists such as Grupo Firme. Her top five tracks this year on the app are “Devoto” with Elvis de Yongol (657,500 videos on the app), “Apaga la luz” with Ovy on the Drums (525,000 videos), “No seas celoso” (276,000 videos), “Mejor Sola” with Zion y Lennox (274,000 videos), and “Me perdiste” (221,000 videos).

“TikTok allows the use of music for the creation of content,” Loaiza’s manager, Leonardo de la O Crovi, tells Billboard. “The basis of everything is to constantly form work teams that adapt to the new ways of communicating. That’s where we try to get the most out of it with good, original and creative ideas. The platform undoubtedly enhances the songs and gives artists an opportunity to grow.”

“This shows the growth opportunity that exists when an artist and her team work together with the TikTok team to generate creative strategies that result in the growth that the artist seeks,” adds Rob Ruiz, music operations lead for Mexico at TikTok.

Additionally, Loaiza has established many new business relationships including with Loud And Live, which will bring her Bye Bye Tour to the U.S. for the first time in 2023. It also marks the last tour where she and her husband JD Pantoja, who’s also a recording artist and popular social media personality, will share the stage.

“You can expect many beautiful things, many good things,” Loaiza assures. “You can expect a great show because that’s what we want to give our fans. We want to give them a truly unforgettable show that they go and say, ‘Wow, it was all worth it.’”

Below, Loaiza talks about being the number one most-viewed artist globally on TikTok, how that’s helped her music career, and more.

You’re ending the year as the most-viewed artist globally on TikTok. What has contributed to your major success on the app?

I sincerely believe that the potion for success is to be constant, to fight for your dreams, remove the barriers that you have in your mind, and do what you really like. When you mix all that together I really feel that you make something explode and everything that you propose yourself to will work out in the end.

What makes Kim Loaiza stand out from the crowd where more than 70 million followers are connecting with your content?

I think I’m super transparent with the people who follow me. I’m always trying to give them the best possible content, always aware of what they want, and always reading their comments. I think that’s what makes my fans connect the most with me because I’m 100% transparent and I like to pamper them and give them the content they ask of me.

Beyond being a famed TikTok personality, how do you feel the app has propelled your very own music career?

It’s helped a lot because my music is uploaded to the app and gets exposure. Either I make a dance challenge for it or fans create one, and it goes viral. You learn the trend, you learn the song. That’s what’s helped my musical career a lot and I really love it.

Your husband JD Pantoja is also on the list with you. What does being a TikTok Power Couple mean?

It feels super nice to share this achievement as a couple because I know everything he has gone through, I know everything he has lived through to get to where he is. I was with him from the very start. I recorded his first Vine videos and helped him with his social media. To see that now we have a very different lifestyle from the one we had a few years ago is crazy. All the support we receive from fans feels beautiful, and well, the truth is, I am super proud of everything my husband has achieved.

08 Dec 2022

Nick Carter Sued for Allegedly Raping Teen Fan on Backstreet Boys Tour Bus in 2001

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter was hit with a lawsuit Thursday (Dec. 8) alleging that he raped a 17-year-old fan on his tour bus following a 2001 concert in Washington.

In a civil lawsuit filed in Nevada court, Shannon “Shay” Ruth says Carter picked her from a group of women seeking autographs after a concert in Tacoma. She says he then brought her aboard the bus, gave her an alcoholic beverage called “VIP juice” and repeatedly assaulted her.

The woman, now 39, says waited more than 20 years to come forward because she was afraid of retaliation.

“He told plaintiff she would go to jail if she told anyone what happened between them,” Ruth’s lawyers wrote in the complaint, obtained by Billboard. “He said that he was Nick Carter, and that he had the power to do that. Due to his various threats, plaintiff did not report Carter’s crimes for many years.”

The attack allegedly left Ruth infected with the sexually-transmitted infection human papillomavirus, or HPV, according to the lawsuit.

In addition to Ruth, the lawsuit was filed on behalf of three other unnamed “Jane Doe” accusers who allegedly experienced similar attacks by Carter from 2003 to 2006. According to the complaint, all three of those women were also given alcohol before being forced to have sex with him; one was allegedly similarly underage.

A rep for Carter did not immediately return a request for comment from Billboard. An unnamed source close to the singer reportedly told TMZ that the accusations were “categorically false.”

The allegations are not the first against Carter. Back in 2017, Melissa Schuman, a former member of teen-pop group Dream, publicly accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2003 when she was 18 years old. Carter denied the allegations at the time, saying Schuman had “never expressed” to him that “anything we did was not consensual.”

After an investigation into Schuman’s accusations, prosecutors in Los Angeles declined to bring criminal charges against Carter on the grounds that the 10-year statute of limitations had expired.

The new lawsuit against Carter contains explicit and disturbing details of the alleged sexual assault.

Once she had finished her “VIP drink,” Ruth says Carter took her to a bathroom and demanded that she perform oral sex on him: “Alone and under duress, Plaintiff reluctantly complied with his demand. Plaintiff cried during the ordeal.”

Following that incident, Ruth says Carter took her to another room on the bus where he “pushed plaintiff down onto the bed and proceeded to mount her.” She says she “begged him to stop” and tried to get away, but that “every time she said ‘No’ and tried to get up, Carter got angry and pushed her down harder.”

After the attack, Ruth says Carter grabbed her, called her a “retarded little bitch” and said that nobody would believe her story. Ruth has autism and cerebral palsy, according to the complaint.

Read the entire complaint here:

08 Dec 2022

Manuel Turizo’s ‘La Bachata’ Returns to No. 1 on Billboard Argentina Hot 100 Chart

Manuel Turizo rebounds to No. 1 on the Billboard Argentina Hot 100 chart (dated Dec. 3) after ranking at No. 2 for one week. The song adds a 12th week atop the tally, tying with Maluma and The Weeknd’s “Hawai” and Pedro Capo and Farruko’s “Calma (Alicia remix)” for the fourth-most among all titles since the chart launched in 2018.

Rosalía’s “Despechá” returns to its No. 2 high for a 23rd week. Meanwhile, as “La Bachata” tops this week’s ranking, it sends Bizarrap and Duki’s “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 50” to No. 4 after one week in command. Bizarrap also rises to No. 3 through another of his music sessions: “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 52,” with Quevedo. Plus, La Joaqui, Gusty DJ Salsatkbron’s “Dos Besitos” holds steady at No. 5.

Elsewhere, Quevedo’s “Punto G” scores the Greatest Gainer honors of the week as it climbs 47 rankings, 78-31. Plus, the Hot Shot debut goes to Karol G & Ovy On The Drums’s “Cairo” at No. 57

Further, four other titles debut this week, starting with Paulo Londra and Lit Killah’s “Necio” at No. 59, Nathy Peluso’s “Estás Buenísimo” opens at No. 73, Nicki Nicole’s “Frio” bows at No. 80, while La Joaqui and Omar Varela’s “Mañosa” arrives at No. 92.

08 Dec 2022

What Recession? Music Companies Keep Growing, Despite Economic Downturn

Music companies’ quarterly results in October and November were a bright spot amid a mostly bleak earnings season. High inflation, rising interest rates and the chance of a recession presented a triple-whammy to most sectors — particularly tech and retail — but in the music industry, those macroeconomic threats weren’t enough to dampen consumer demand and investors’ confidence.

“While the broader economy is facing challenges, the music industry as a whole remains healthy,” says Golnar Khosrowshahi, founder and CEO of Reservoir Media, which raised its full-fiscal-year forecast by 11% for both revenue and adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA).

So what worked in music companies’ favor? In short, more people are going to concerts and buying streaming subscriptions, and revenues from those sectors helped bolster quarterly results for nearly every publicly listed music company.

Diversifiction = Fortification

The major labels, which have a piece of the market in nearly every segment of the music industry, all reported quarterly revenue gains over the third quarter last year, ranging from 16% at Warner Music Group to 6% at Sony Music Entertainment. On Universal Music Group’s third-quarter call, chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge attributed the company’s 13.3% third-quarter revenue gains to UMG’s diversification strategy. While ad-supported streaming revenue slowed significantly, only growing 5.2% (from last year’s 15.6% growth), licensing and other revenues rose by 30% due to an $84.2 million increase in touring revenue from Latin American, European and Asian markets where UMG is in that business. Merchandising and other revenue related to those tours grew by over 100% to almost $199 million. “We are better positioned to navigate the inevitable ebbs and flows of revenue of any particular business, as well as to weather any macroeconomic headwinds,” said Grainge.

Live’s Alive Again

Live Nation Entertainment had its biggest summer concert season ever, reporting that more than 44 million fans attended 11,000 events in the third quarter, as attendance for stadium shows tripled to nearly 9 million. Companywide, Live Nation reported $6.2 billion in quarterly revenue, up nearly 67% from the last-comparable quarter, which for it was the third quarter of 2019.

Streaming’s Still Strong

On a call with investors, an analyst asked Sony deputy president/CFO Hiroki Totoki what risks Sony Music Entertainment faces. His reply: “Streaming is very successful, and we don’t really have that much of a concern.” Spotify’s third-quarter results confirm that. Revenue rose 12% to roughly $3.2 billion at a constant currency, on a 13% uptick in subscription revenue from more than 195 million subscribers — 1 million more than the company targeted.

French streaming company Deezer also reported double-digit revenue growth, although it attributed the increase in part to a one-euro price hike the company instituted in France earlier this year. Deezer’s revenues rose nearly 14% to $112.5 million at the Sept. 30, 2022, exchange rate.

Price hikes, coming at a time consumers’ costs are rising across the spectrum, are the final thing working for music industry companies. After Apple said it would raise its standard individual streaming plan price by $1 to $10.99 in the U.S. and Spotify signaled it was also considering a price increase, major labels and other streaming company executives all said they expect trickle-down benefits.

It’s also worth noting that although Totoki said on the call that Sony is “taking steps to prepare for further deterioration… in each of our businesses,” the company raised its revenue and operating income targets for the full fiscal year by $9.8 billion and $1.9 billion, respectively (at Sony’s assumed exchange rate for the second half of the fiscal year).

08 Dec 2022

An Army of M3GANs Just Took Over the Red Carpet to Dance to Taylor Swift’s ‘It’s Nice to Have a Friend’

It’s nice to have a friend. Or eight? At the premiere of M3GAN on Wednesday (Dec. 7), an army of life-size M3GANs invaded the red carpet to perform a creepy dance number set to “It’s Nice to Have a Friend” by Taylor Swift.

The Hollywood Reporter‘s Chris Gardner tweeted a video from the event at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in L.A., showing the eight dancers twirling, twisting and body rolling to the Lover deep cut much like the eponymous doll in the horror film.

“Light pink sky, up on the roof/ Sun sinks down, no curfew/ Twenty questions, we tell the truth/ You’ve been stressed out lately, yeah me too/ Something gave you the nerve/ To touch my hand/ It’s nice to have a friend,” Swift can be heard singing on the record as the M3GAN — or “Model 3 Generative Android” — lookalikes all move in chilling unison.

The track off the singer’s 2019 album was first used in the initial trailer for the Blumhouse sci-fi thriller starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Amie McDonald and the voice of Jenna Davis. The movie hits theaters nationwide on Jan. 6.

At the premiere, the movie’s producer, Jason Blum, also dressed as the terrifying red-headed doll, writing, “Get ready, world. I’m back” alongside a selfie posted to his Twitter account.

Meanwhile, Tay gave Swifties a behind-the-scenes look at her Grammy-nominated All Too Well short film this week, showing the superstar bringing her creative vision to life as a first-time director and working with actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien.

Watch the M3GANs’ red carpet dance, and get a look at Blum in his own M3GAN costume below.

08 Dec 2022

Jelly Roll on His Triumphant Journey from Drug Dealer to Arena Headliner: ‘You Couldn’t Write a Cinderella Story Cooler Than This’

What a difference a year makes. In 2021, Jelly Roll played a sold-out show to just over 2,300 fans at Nashville’s revered Ryman Auditorium. This Friday (Dec. 9), the Stoney Creek Records/BMG artist is headlining the nearly 19,000-capacity Bridgestone Arena.

The moment will prove a triumphant homecoming for an artist (real name: Jason DeFord) who has gone from selling mixtapes out of his car in his hometown of Nashville suburb Antioch, and releasing over a dozen independent albums, to becoming a genre-fluid hitmaker with a No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart (“Dead Man Walking”) and a Top 10 (and rising) on the Country Airplay chart (“Son of a Sinner”). While the venue’s seats will be filled with fans, backstage will be just as packed with friends and family that have supported the 37-year-old singer-songwriter for years.

“It’s so bad,” he tells Billboard with a laugh, acknowledging it’s a great problem to have. “I went to Bridgestone today with the relations manager that deals with backstage stuff, hospitality, just to look at all the dressing rooms and everywhere we can possibly put people… just to f–king figure it out how we’re gonna do this. But it’s incredible. You couldn’t write a Cinderella story cooler than this, saying that I’ll have a headlining show at Bridgestone while I have a top 10 at country radio. I look at it like it’s my introduction party to Nashville, even though I was born here.”

He promises some high-profile special guests and several surprises in the set list.

“We’ve got something for everyone. If you’re a Nashville guy who remembers when I was putting out mix tapes, I have something that will blow your mind. If you’ve just heard ‘Son of a Sinner,’ it’s gonna be great,” he says.

Jelly Roll has logged 16 weeks atop Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart — where he still sits — marking the second-longest reign on the chart, behind only NLE Choppa’s 24-week streak at the pinnacle. He hopes his success, like his music, serves as inspiration to those who are struggling.

“I think what I think I represent is just a beacon of hope,” he says. “I don’t look like the guy that you would’ve assumed would’ve made it [in the music industry]. Sam Hunt’s a really dear friend of mine, and Sam is just a big striking, handsome guy. When you see him, you’re like, ‘Oh, I get it.’ When you see me, you don’t get it initially — then you meet me, and hear the story and hear the music. I just feel like I represent the guy who looks at himself in the mirror every day and goes, ‘Yeah, guys like me don’t make it.’”

Not only will the show be his largest headlining show to date, but it will aid a good cause — one that is intensely personal for the former addict and drug dealer. Proceeds from the show will benefit the local non-profit Impact Youth Outreach, which serves at-risk, disadvantaged youth in the Nashville area. He is also donating $250,000 to Impact Youth Outreach, and plans to build a recording studio and music programs at the Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. With Impact Youth Outreach, he is also funding Hometown Heroes Scholarships for Metro Nashville Public School seniors.

Prior to launching his music career, Jelly Roll had been in and out of the juvenile detention center since age 14. (“I spent 14-24 in trouble,” he notes.) He spoke with Billboard just before returning to the center to speak with youth in the same pod he had once been housed in.

“[It’s] where I spent the worst 18 months of my life, but it was a turning point,” he says, noting it was where he began rapping and where he had his first rap battle. “I found my real love for rapping here. I loved all music as a listener, but I didn’t think I could sing, but there was something about rhythmic rapping and poetry that I understood… there was a lot of hip-hop, but we didn’t get radios or nothing. A lot of what we heard was just rapping to each other, and that got me involved in the art form, because it was our only source of entertainment. Adult jails at least get headphones.”

“I’m passionate about this,” he says of helping people overcome their issues. “It’s not even scratching the surface of the 10-year plan we have for at-risk youth and people dealing with drug addictions in this town. I came up here on Thanksgiving Day and fed a bunch of kids. I sat with them and listened to their stories. There were kids who had been here 18 months, 20 months already. How critical an amount of time that is when you’re 15.”

He’s working with Impact Youth Outreach president Robert C. Sherill, whom Jelly Roll met over two decades ago, and who followed a parallel path to Jelly Roll’s own journey. Sherill previously spent time at a federal penitentiary before becoming a successful Nashville entrepreneur, launching a commercial cleaning company Imperial Cleaning Systems.

“This town used to be tiny. The big drug dealer in North Nashville knew the big drug dealer in South Nashville. I was in my late teens before I met a successful adult that didn’t sell drugs,” Jelly Roll says. “[Sherrill and I] met when we were kind of on our s–t, and we got through our s–t around the same time — I chased the creative arts and he traced entrepreneurship, and wanted to give back to the youth. It’s a beautiful connection — and we look cool together. It’s a skinny, really fit Black dude that hardly drinks and an overweight, fat white guy that drinks a lot. We’re kind of a TV show.”

When he takes the stage Friday at Bridgestone, Jelly Roll will perform his newest release, “She,” another unflinching look at an aspect of addiction — this time from the viewpoint of someone watching as a loved one struggles.

“I think we all know a ‘She.’ And for me, just being honest, ‘She’ was my child’s mother. And ‘She’ was my mother. I just hope someone hears this, or someone’s family member sends them this song and we can help create some change. I meet fans that tell me a lot of stories — my music helped them through addiction, or to decide not to commit suicide. I want to keep making music that helps people. That makes it worth it.”

08 Dec 2022

RM Delivers Stunning Mini ‘Indigo’ Concert While Surrounded by Art & Nature: Watch

RM is rooting himself in nature and taking in all the delights that a museum — specifically, the Dia Beacon in New York — has to offer. On Thursday (Dec. 8), the BTS rapper shared a 12-minute concert special taped at the contemporary art installation space to perform four tracks from his debut studio album, Indigo.

The video kicked off with a performance of the album’s lead single, “Wild Flower (with youjeen).” RM appeared from the Dia Beacon’s maze-like garden space in a gray shirt, pants and chunky shoes to give an impassioned performance of the track solo. The scene then cut to the interior of the museum and featured RM in a space with wooden floors, bright large windows and and contemporary metal sculptures decorating the space.

By the time “Change Pt. 2” rolled around, the scene was vastly different. RM, nothing but a black silhouette, performed the track from a green lit room filled with columns and shelving units. The shadow play continued into “No. 2” as the camera followed RM throughout the museum, ultimately landing in a large open space before descending into a second space with faint shadows dancing on the walls.

After the mini concert went live, RM took to his instagram Story to share that “Live in New York (Dia: Beacon) was the contents that we put the biggest effort into. Enjoy, thx :).”

RM’s performance at the Dia Beacon is the latest of his Indigo performances. The BTS rapper also performed tracks from his solo effort for NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series.

Speaking about Indigo on Suchwita, Suga of BTS’ sit-down talk show, RM said, “It’s been 15 years [since we started pursuing music] and yet in a sense, this is my first album. So after 15 long years I finally have a chance to prove to myself in the form of a solo album. That’s what I felt.”

RM also added that he was happy to have the chance to make a statement about who he is as an artist now on Indigo, because “to be honest, in my Mono album, I had doubts and concerns for about half the songs in there, but I don’t think that’s going to be the case for this album.”

Watch RM’s Indigo concert at the Dia Beacon above.

08 Dec 2022

The 10 Best Country Albums of 2022: Staff Picks

In 2022, country music veterans, established artists and newcomers incorporated a range of styles, from ’80s and ’90s country, folk, R&B, classic rock and more to frame urgent, detailed storytelling and vulnerable musical vignettes.

Some projects, like Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville and Miranda Lambert’s Palomino, offer sonic sketches of quirky, fictional towns or an escape to charming map dots and larger cities across the country. Other artists, such as Lainey Wilson, Zach Bryan and Hailey Whitters, delve deep into their own stories, cementing their artistic visions in the process.

Here are Billboard‘s picks for the 10 best country albums from 2022:

08 Dec 2022

AEG Presents UK Hires Chris Wareing & Paris Harding From SJM Concerts

AEG Presents UK has appointed Chris Wareing to senior vp of global touring and hired Paris Harding as a promoter, the company announced on Thursday (Dec. 8).

Wareing — a leading hip-hop, rap and R&B promoter as well as the founder of the annual Gods of Rap tour — joins AEG with the view of expanding the company’s hip-hop and rap presence across the globe. Wareing joins AEG from SJM Concerts, where he served for the last 10 years as a promoter. Harding brings with him a wealth of skills and experience in the rap space and also served as a promoter at SJM Concerts. 

“Having worked alongside Chris for a number of years and admired his presence from afar, I couldn’t be more thrilled to have him join our team,” said AEG Presents UK CEO Steve Homer in a statement announcing the hires. “He’ll be working closely with myself and my colleague Gary Gersh [president of global touring and talent, AEG Presents] at an international level, to drive our footprint in these important genres forward. It’s rare to come across talent at the level he and Paris exhibit and I couldn’t think of a better way to close out a stellar year.”

In his own statement, Wareing added, “I’m excited to kick off the New Year with a new challenge booking globally with AEG. I admire the vision and work of the company and I’m looking forward to further driving their presence in the hip hop and rap space.”

08 Dec 2022

A Pop Song of Ice & Fire: See Your Favorite Music Stars as ‘Game of Thrones’ Characters

Westeros isn’t so different from the world of pop. The top slot on the Billboard charts is just as sought-after as the Iron Throne — though artists use their music as weapons instead of, well, actual weapons.

Back in 2016, ahead of the season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones on HBO, we decided to see if we could draw a direct line between the citizens of the Seven Kingdoms and our very own pop royalty. These people are playing very different games, but often using similar strategies. We published animated illustrations reimagining six of the biggest musicians in the world as six of the biggest characters on the wildly popular show, which came to an end in 2019 after eight seasons.

This week (Dec. 7), our gallery of GIFs became relevant once again, when Taylor Swift told The Hollywood Reporter for their Women in Entertainment Power 100 issue which Thrones character she most identifies with: Arya Stark. “I realize I don’t know how to use a sword and I’ve never had to rise up from near death to go on an epic revenge mission,” the pop star quipped. “But I have been in the music industry for over 15 years, so …”

When we published the original gallery, we had Swift pegged as the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen — of course, that was before (spoiler alert) Dany burned it all down in the final season. Also since the gallery was posted, Swift has spoken of her kinship with the Stark daughters (Sansa too) and how they partially inspired her 2017 album reputation. “So much of my imagination was spent on Game of Thrones,” Swift told Entertainment Weekly in 2019. “At the time, I was making reputation and I didn’t talk about it in interviews, so I didn’t reveal that a lot of the songs were influenced by the show.”

But Swift isn’t our only pop star featured in the gallery. Below, find animated illustrations of pop stars as their kindred Game of Thrones characters. (And maybe for our next round, we’ll include musicians as House of the Dragon standouts.)

This gallery was originally published in 2016.